When All Is Said And Done
by Lamia of the Dark
Summary: Set during Fragile Eternity. After taking Seth to Faerie, Bananach mysteriously disappears... And when Niall finds her, it's obvious that something is wrong...
1. Dreaming of Screaming

**DISCLAIMER: Wicked Lovely belongs to Melissa Marr, as does my eternal soul.**

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

_When all is said and done,_  
_Will I know where I'm from?_  
_Remember me_.

_Where will I be?_  
_I guess I'm on the run._  
_Remember me_. - Trapt "When All Is Said and Done"

- Prologue: Dreaming of Screaming -

Lately, the Dark King often dreamed of black wings.

_Beautiful black wings and bloodstained hands_.

It had been four months since Seth's disappearance. All of the faery monarchs except Aislinn knew where Seth was. Keenan was dead set on keeping Seth's whereabouts a secret from the Summer Queen, and the consequences of that decision were causing tensions to rise between the Summer and Winter courts.

_Beautiful black wings and bloodstained hands, reaching out desperately as her screams shatter the silence_.

Niall seemed to be the only one who even noticed Bananach's obvious absence. The Summer and Winter monarchs were too wrapped up in their love triangle to even look after their courts properly - which had probably been Bananach's intention when she'd spirited Seth away to Faerie. The chaos she'd managed to create among the courts only needed another small push or two to become full-out war, so why wasn't she here gloating about it? To have her plan come together and then just drop off the face of the earth for months at a time was not like her... and she was far too short-sighted to be taking _this_ long to plan her next move in advance.

Even among the Dark Court, Niall seemed to be the only one who thought that Lady War's absence was a bad thing. Gabriel and the Hounds were just grateful she wasn't around causing trouble that they would be expected to clean up after. (Well, the Ly Ergs did seem to miss her, but that was mostly only because they missed the easy meals she usually provided for them.)

But the Dark King had a bad feeling about this. Bananach not present and unaccounted for, for an extended period of time, at a time when the faery courts were very nearly in chaos? It was unheard of. Something MUST be wrong.

_If nothing is wrong then why else would her nightmares be invading my dreams?_

-to be continued-

**A/N: So it's my first multi-chapter Wicked Lovely fic. HUZZAH! More soon, my lovelies.**

**Reviews are love.**


	2. There Are Feathers Everywhere

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 1: There Are Feathers Everywhere -

Niall had no idea where or how to even begin looking for Bananach. The only clues he had that something was wrong were her obvious absence and his nightmares - nightmares which he was sure were somehow connected to _her_ nightmares.

He searched her nest but found no clues there that could possibly point to her current whereabouts.

He did find a lot of loose feathers. Long, black ones. _Hers_. On impulse, Niall picked up one of the feathers and tucked it into his pocket. He didn't know why he did it, but something about the action comforted him in a way he could not describe.

The nightmares made him restless, and he would often aimlessly wander the streets at night. He kept Bananach's feather with him at all times now.

When he found her, it was completely by accident. He almost walked by without so much as glancing in her direction, but he felt some subconscious instinct tug at his attention and his gaze slid to the mouth of a shadowed alley. A thin stream of light filtered down from a second-story window, lending enough illumination to the alley below that Niall could see that there was someone there.

She was sitting with her back against the alley wall, with her head back and her knees pulled up to her chest. There was an odd hitch in her breathing.

It wasn't until Niall was kneeling beside her that he realized who exactly he was looking at.

"Ba-"

She put her fingers to his lips and hissed, "Don't say my name."

"Darling," he murmured instead, pulling her into an embrace. "I've been so worried about you."

She was surprised, and confused, by the Dark King's actions. But faeries can't lie, so she knew that what he said was true.

"I've been looking for you," he continued, speaking softly as though trying to sooth a frightened animal that he was afraid would flee. "I almost didn't recognize you just now." As he said this, his fingers found her feathery hair - which was _much_ shorter than it should have been. "What happened to your hair?" he asked, sounding upset.

She didn't know why he cared about the length of her hair. True, she'd never had it cut before, but she had also never been particularly well-groomed at any point in her life before. She'd be willing to bet that the Dark King had never seen her with her face completely clean of ash and blood or dressed in clothing that wasn't camouflage-patterned before, either.

He seemed to honestly be concerned about her, and to have no clue what the reason behind her disappearance was. And, whatever else had happened between them in the past, he was the Dark King and she was a member of the Dark Court. She was his to protect. Not that she'd ever thought she'd _need_ his protection from anything... Still, she felt safe enough in his care.

Ignoring the question, she buried her face against his neck and mumbled, "I feel sick."

-to be continued-

**A/N: ****Reviews are love.**


	3. Are You Feeling Fine?

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 2: Are You Feeling Fine? -

_She shouldn't be sick_, was the first the first thought that crossed Niall's mind.

True, they were kneeling next to a dumpster and there was also a fire escape directly overhead, but Bananach was one of the few faeries who were strong enough to not be affected by iron. She shouldn't be sick.

The hitch in her breathing grew noticably stronger and he realized that when she'd said she felt sick, she'd _meant_ that she was currently trying not to vomit.

"Come here," he murmured (more to warn her of what he was about to do than anything, seeing as how she was already pressed against him and couldn't realistically be expected to come any closer) as he quickly scooped her up into his arms and stood.

He carried her around to the front of the building (which happened to be a bar named Sherry's Den, a fact which Niall noted absentmindedly) and went inside. He ignored the strange looks they received from the bar's human patrons as the Dark King carried Lady War through the smoky crowded room to the back corner where the bathrooms were. She slid from his arms and swiftly scurried into the ladies' room. He stood outside the door and tried to ignore the retching and splashing sounds coming from inside.

"Are you alright?" he asked when she came out a few minutes later. He realized it was a stupid question as soon as it was out of his mouth - because she obviously _wasn't_ alright and she couldn't brush the question off by untruthfully reassuring him that she was fine, the way a human would.

She tilted her head to one side and considered carefully before deciding to ignore the thoughtlessness of his question and give him an honest assessment of her health.

"I just threw up. I feel slightly faint, and I've recently started having nightmares while I am awake."

He hadn't actually expected her to answer, and while the information she'd imparted was a definite cause for concern, it was also more information than he'd had before. Of course, he was still a long way from being able to figure out what exactly was wrong with her...

_She shouldn't be sick_.

But she was.

-to be continued-

**A/N: ****Reviews are love.**


	4. Blind Game Again

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 3: Blind Game Again -

Devlin was upset over his queen's ever-increasing obsession with her newest pet. She'd never reacted like this before. It wasn't right. And it most certainly wasn't _logical_. Her recent behavior was not fitting for the High Queen. Then again, most of the High Court fey probably hadn't even noticed the difference - because she was careful to hide it from them. But Devlin noticed, and he was not pleased.

Four months had passed since Seth was turned, when Sorcha suddenly called Devlin to her side.

"What do you need, my queen?" he asked, carefully hiding the apprehension he felt.

"I have been viewing the threads of possible futures often recently... Studying them, you might say." Sorcha paused as if awaiting a reaction, but Devlin had no idea what to make of that statement without further elaboration.

"And?" he prompted.

Sorcha closed her eyes. "I can no longer See the Dark King's threads." She paused a moment to let that information sink in, then told him, "I want you to go to the mortal world and investigate the cause of this."

"Yes, my queen," Devlin replied obediently. "I shall depart at once."

He wasn't particularly looking forward to visiting the Dark Court, especially if it meant finding out that Niall had been killed and a new Dark King had risen to the throne... or, even worse, that Niall had been Killed and a new Dark King had _not_ risen to throne. He tried to think of another reason for the Dark King's sudden disappearance from Sorcha's Sight, but he couldn't come up with any likelier possibilities.

_Perhaps he has figured out a way to shield himself from such things_, Devlin mused as he prepared to cross into the mortal realm. _Oh, well. I'll find out what's going on when I get there. And I suppose I had better use this opportunity to visit my OTHER sister, as well_...

-to be continued-

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, but there was really nothing else I could add to this part. Thanks to Angelz on Edge and Still Not King for reviewing and inspiring me to get this chapter out quickly :)**


	5. Through The Nothing That You've Learned

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 4: Through The Nothing That You've Learned -

Bananach closed the distance between the two of them in a few small, unsteady steps and leaned against the Dark King's side for support.

"Pick me up?" she said plaintively, phrasing it as a request rather than a demand.

Making sure there were no humans watching them, he quickly pulled a glamour over both of them before sweeping her up into his arms. She was incredibly light. He hadn't noticed her weight before, when he'd been in a hurry to keep her from being sick all over the sidewalk.

_I suppose she must have hollow bones_... He'd never really thought about it before, but she seemed to be more birdlike than he'd ever realized.

Once they were outside the bar again, he realized that he had no idea where to take her. Had she been she staying somewhere around here? Or was she just running around aimlessly, trying to avoid being found by any faeries?

_A moving target is harder to hit, after all_...

Should he take her back to the Dark Court, or find a safe place to keep her hidden until he had at least some idea of what was wrong with her? And on that note, how was he supposed to even begin figuring out what was the matter with her in the first place?

Standing there on the sidewalk under a streetlight, he noticed for the first time how she was dressed. Instead of her customary camouflage-patterned military fatigues, she was wearing a long loose white skirt and a pink tank top. In the way of footwear, she had on a pair of black flip-flops - the cheap foam-rubber kind that you can get at most drugstores for one dollar during the summer.

With her hair cut short like this - it was barely shoulder length now - she could easily be mistaken for a mortal teenage girl, even without a glamour to disguise her appearance.

Not even an illusion of her wings remained. She seemed to be well and truly powerless. Hell, she couldn't even stand up on her own for very long. She was weak and sick, hiding among humans.

And he had no idea what to do about it.

-to be continued-

**A/N: Reviews are love.**


	6. Walked Into Our World

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 5: Walked Into Our World -

Devlin was tempted to go and see Bananach before doing anything else, but he had his mission from the High Queen and he knew that his queen's orders had to come first.

Since he was looking for the Dark King - or, more accurately, he was investigating the reason why the Dark King had disappeared from Sorcha's Future Sight - the Dark Court seemed to be the logical place to begin his search.

Upon arriving at the Dark Court, the first faery he ran into was Irial.

"What are _you_ doing here?" the former king snarled.

Irial appeared to be in a foul mood, and his expression grew even surlier as Devlin remained completely calm.

"It is no business of yours, as I am here to see the Dark King," Devlin smoothly stated his purpose.

"Good luck with that," Irial said, smirking. "No one has seen him for the past week."

Devlin frowned. "So, you have no idea where-"

"Nope," Irial cut him off before he could finish the question. "No one knows where he is. He didn't even tell Gabriel."

Devlin decided to question other members of the Dark Court in case Irial was intentionally misdirecting him. However, after speaking to several of the dark fey, the only additional information he'd turned up was that their king was most definitely still alive (they would _know_ if he was dead) and had "been restless lately".

It seemed that Devlin would have to search for Niall and see what trouble the Dark King had gotten himself into...

But before he undertook that task, he would go and visit his sister. Even though time passed more quickly for him in Faerie than it did for her here in the mortal world, to him it felt like it had been too long since the last time he had seen her. He wondered if she missed him at all, or if she would interpret his long absence as a sign that he favored Sorcha over her. True, his sisters constantly fought to secure his affection, but Devlin felt that he was merely a pawn in their power struggle with each other and that neither of his sisters truly loved him.

He sighed. Such was his fate in life, it seemed.

-to be continued-

**A/N: Reviews are love.**


	7. I Can't Sleep Again Tonight

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 6: I Can't Sleep Again Tonight Because You Exist -

Bananach hesitated at the edge of the Dark Court. She'd been afraid to come back here ever since that time... But, for some odd reason, she thought it would be alright to return now.

Irial was waiting for her.

"Get out," he snapped.

The former Dark King stalked toward her. Lady War backed away.

Shadows sprang up all around them.

"You are no longer welcome here."

_No, no, no!_ She wanted to scream but her voice was locked in her throat. Only a faint whimper escaped her.

Suddenly, someone's arms closed around her waist from behind.

"Shh, hush, it's alright." Niall's voice. "You're just having a nightmare. Nothing bad is actually happening to you right now."

Bananach relaxed against him and the dreamscape wavered around them.

She woke up in a darkened hotel room - the one they'd been staying in for the past six days, since the night Niall found her.

"Darling?" his voice rang out softly in the darkness. "Are you awake?"

She failed to respond verbally, but he heard the sheets rustling as she cast them off and the bedsprings creaking as she stood. Her footsteps were silent as she crossed the small space between their beds to settle on the edge of his.

"That was really you in my dream," she said in an accusatory tone.

"Yes," he answered, even though she hadn't phrased it as a question.

"How?" she asked, nonplussed.

"I've been seeing your nightmares for a while now," he explained. "I suppose the physical proximity made it possible for me to actually _enter_ your dream."

He'd stopped the nightmare, made it go away - something she'd never been able to do for herself. At one point, she had tried to avoid the nightmares by not sleeping... until she started having them while she was awake.

"What all have you seen?" she asked, with undisguised fear in her voice. Normally she hid her emotions much better than this.

_She's probably afraid that I've found out what has rendered her powerless_.

He hadn't, of course. If he knew _that_, he might have some idea of how to fix it.

"Mostly ones where you were being exiled from the Dark Court by either Irial, Gabriel, or myself." Niall refrained from mentioning that _he _was the villain in that dream much more often than Irial or Gabriel. "A few where you were attacked by the Winter or Summer Queen. And I think there was one where you were just screaming."

_Oh, so he hasn't seen it_...

When several minutes passed and Bananach hadn't moved back to her own bed, Niall asked, "Do you want to sleep in my bed?"

She hesitated before curling up next to him.

The Dark King drifted off quickly after that. Bananach didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

-to be continued-

**A/N: Reviews are love.**


	8. Stranger Than Your Sympathy

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 7: Stranger Than Your Sympathy -

Niall woke up the next morning to find that Bananach was already awake. She was still curled up beside him in the same position as last night, but her eyes were wide open.

When she saw that he was awake, she said without preamble, "There's something I need to do."

"What is it?" he asked apprehensively.

"We have to go to the Summer Court."

_The Summer Court? Then... she intends to tell the Summer Queen about taking Seth to Faerie...?_

The Dark King wasn't sure that would be a good idea - mostly because he _was_ sure that Keenan would react badly to the revelation. Then again, Niall was strong enough to fight Keenan if he needed to... and Aislinn would probably be happy to know the fate of her beloved mortal.

It was still early when they checked out of the hotel. As they began the long walk to the Summer Court, Bananach found herself shivering in the chilly morning air. Niall shrugged out of his jacket and offered it to her. When she hesitated to take it from him, he simply leaned forward and draped it over her shoulders.

"Take it," he said. (Even though the command was redundant since he had already given it to her.) "I'll be fine without it."

He watched as her expression shifted to something akin to surprise. Apparently, she still wasn't used to being treated with kindness.

She also still wasn't guarding her emotions as well as she usually did - but after observing her for the past week he thought he'd finally figured out why _that_ was happening, at least. Simply put: she seemed to be feeling many emotions now that she had never _had_ before, and therefore she had no idea how to conceal them. Again, he couldn't help wondering what the hell had happened to her and how her powers had become bound. And now a new worry had been added to the pile. What event had suddenly broadened her emotional set? She used to only feel simple, primal emotions (such as _pleasure_ and _rage_). But now she seemed to be experiencing a full range of the finer emotions - confusion predominantly among them, because she didn't _understand_ all of these new feelings.

She stared at him unblinkingly for a few moments more before finally turning her unsettling gaze away.

They continued walking and he watched her out of the corner of his eye as she put the jacket on properly. It hung loosely on her slim frame, but it didn't look bad on her.

_She could... be pretty... if she wanted to_.

The thought itself surprised him almost as much as the fact that he'd just thought such a thing about Lady War...

-to be continued-

**A/N: Reviews are love.**


	9. Don't You Want To Hold Me, Baby?

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 8: Don't You Want To Hold Me, Baby? -

It was a long walk to the Summer Court from here, and they were just getting started. The Dark King wondered how far Lady War would make it before needing to be picked up and carried the rest of the way.

She seemed to be a little stronger now than she had been on the day he'd found her - the keyword there being _little_. She was better, but not by much.

Even with Niall's jacket, Bananach was still cold. The material of her skirt was thin and the wind cut right through it. She briefly considered asking Niall to pick her up (even though she hadn't yet weakened to the point of needing to be carried) just for the opportunity to be warmed by his body heat. But she quickly discarded that idea. She still had her pride, damn it!

Her thoughts were interrupted by Niall asking, "Darling, are you warm enough?"

He'd been paying more attention to her than she'd realized.

"No," she answered, resenting her inability to lie. She _hated_ being weak like this.

The Dark King wrapped his arm around Bananach's waist and pulled her against his side. She stumbled a little before falling into step with him.

She leaned into his side, grateful for the warmth. But she also had an odd sense of discomfort. It took her a moment to realize that the discomfort wasn't physical - which meant it was some kind of emotional response. Instead of trying to figure out what the unfamiliar feeling was, Bananach decided to ignore its unwelcome presence as best she could. She snuggled closer to Niall, enjoying the simple pleasure of being surrounded by his warmth.

Niall glanced down at Lady War. She looked so small and fragile. He hated seeing her like this. He'd never thought he'd _miss_ her constant warmongering and attempts to usurp the dark crown... (Not that she'd ever _seriously_ challenged him for control of the Dark Court, despite her claims that she would take it from him someday.)

To the mortals in the street around them, the two of them looked like a normal young couple. Of course, there wasn't actually anything remotely normal about the pair of them - not to mention that they were both nearly as old as time itself, and definitely _not_ a couple.

He noticed that she was blushing.

_She's embarassed?_

But was it her own weakness that she was embarassed by, or something else...?

-to be continued-

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since the last update. **

**Reviews are love.**


	10. Standing In The Sun, I'm About To Melt

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. (It's been almost 4 months since the last update.) I was going to put a chapter about Devlin between chapter 8 and this one, but it turned out really awkward and while it was relevant to the plot, it was not crucial to the plot.**

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 9: Standing In The Sun, I'm About To Melt -

By the time they reached the Summer Court's loft, Bananach had weakened to the point that she could no longer walk on her own and had to be carried.

When Niall asked the Summer Court guards to relay a message that he would like to request an immediate audience with Summer Regents, they looked him over suspiciously but seemed not to recognize Bananach for what she was. The Dark King attributed this lack of recognition to her weakened state and altered physical appearance. The guards announced them to the Summer King and Queen as "The Dark King and an unknown Dark faery".

"What's this about, Niall?" Keenan asked in a surly tone, once the Dark fey had been admitted to the loft.

The Summer King frowned when he saw Bananach in Niall's arms, but his eyes slid away as if he couldn't keep his focus on her for very long. Niall noticed, and began to wonder if the other faeries were unable to recognize Bananach on sight because there was actually something _preventing_ them from recognizing her. But, if so, then why had _he_ known who she was the night he found her?

"She wanted to speak to the Summer Queen," Niall said, indicating the faery he held.

"Does 'she' have a name?" Keenan asked, glaring suspiciously at Lady War.

"Of course," Niall answered.

When he failed to elaborate, Keenan raised an eyebrow expectantly. Niall shrugged.

_Let him interpret THAT however he wants_…

He had answered the Summer King's question, after all. Keenan should have known better than to phrase it in such an unspecific manner if he wanted a straight answer. Logically, Keenan was most likely to assume that the gesture meant that Niall did not actually know her name.

Aislinn stepped between Keenan and Niall, and - addressing Bananach directly - asked gently, "What did you want to tell me?"

Bananach slid from Niall's arms so that she was standing face-to-face with the Summer Queen. Aislinn gasped as Lady War clutched her hands.

Keenan moved as if to defend his queen, but Niall blocked him.

"She's not hurt, just surprised," Niall informed him quietly. "Don't give me an excuse to fight you."

Seeing that the ladies were now engaged in an intense whispered conversation, Keenan nodded and backed away.

When Bananach's fingers closed around hers, the Summer Queen saw the other faery for what she was.

"I took Seth to see my sister in Faerie," Lady War confessed without preamble, her voice a barely-audible whisper.

_To keep Keenan from overhearing_, Aislinn realized. "Seth is in Faerie?" she asked, just as quietly.

"Yes. Sorcha granted his wish and remade him as a faery, but I don't know the full terms of that arrangement."

Aislinn hesitated slightly before asking, "Does Keenan know where Seth is?"

"All of the monarchs know, because he asked each of them to turn him before going to the High Queen," Bananach answered, confirming the Summer Queen's suspicions. Keenan had known where Seth was the whole time, but he had kept it a secret in order to turn Aislinn's feelings against her lover.

Aislinn was overwhelmed with a kaleidoscope of disparate emotions. She was happy to know that Seth was safe and anxious for his return, but she was furious at Keenan for keeping Seth's whereabouts a secret in order manipulate her. She was also confused… why was War attempting to undo the seeds of chaos that she'd sown? Wouldn't that go against her nature?

"Why are you telling me this?" Aislinn asked.

Bananach grew increasingly agitated as she attempted to reply.

"If I'd known… If I'd known… I wouldn't have… but I couldn't see… If I'd known… I…" Tears streamed down her face and her unfinished sentence was punctuated by a hoarse sob.

"That's enough!" Niall snapped. He was suddenly beside them, reaching between the two females to gently disentangle their hands before sweeping Bananach up into his arms.

Aislinn caught the Dark King's gaze and, sounding genuinely concerned, asked, "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know," he answered flatly. "That's what I've been trying to find out."

- to be continued -

**A/N: Reviews are love.**


	11. But I Left Here In Darkness

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 10: But I Left Here In Darkness -

Their business with the Summer Court concluded, the Dark King carried the semi-hysterical Lady War outside. Once outside, however, he was at a loss as to where to take her. They had already checked out of the hotel that they'd been staying at - and he had never intended for that to be a permanent solution anyway.

As he was pondering this conundrum, his cell phone beeped with a text message. He set Bananach on her feet, keeping one arm around her waist, and dug his phone out of his pocket with his free hand. The message was from Irial.

_Devlin showed up looking 4 u. Crt bsns apparently_.

Niall cursed.

"What?" Bananach asked curiously, her earlier distress suddenly forgotten.

"Devlin is looking for me. He's here on High Court business, apparently. I need to return to the Dark Court."

War perked up at the sound of her brother's name but cringed at the mention of the Dark Court.

At a loss for any ideas himself, he asked her, "Where should I take you?"

Bananach paused for so long before replying that the Dark King suspected her mind had wandered and she was not going to answer at all.

Finally she said, "Rabbit's."

It probably wasn't the safest place for her, and it might be tricky to convince Rabbit to keep her there without revealing her identity. But he had no other plan. She absolutely refused to return to the Dark Court, out of some strange fear that he didn't understand.

When the Dark King showed up at the back door of the tattoo parlor with a strange faery in his arms, Rabbit let them in without a single moment's hesitation.

"What do you need me to do?" the halfling asked. He appeared ready and willing to do whatever his king asked of him.

"I need to leave her here while I return to the Dark Court. I will be back for her as soon as I can. A few days, at the most," Niall said hesitantly.

Rabbit found the Dark King's hesitance to ask this favor of him strange, but he agreed to keep the girl for as long as Niall needed. She was such a weak faery that he didn't think for a moment she might be a danger to his sisters' safety.

"Is there anything I should know about her…?" Rabbit asked, sensing that something was purposely being left out of the conversation.

Niall started to say _No_, but the word refused to pass his lips as a memory flashed through his mind. The Summer Queen had been able to recognize Bananach by touch...

"Don't touch her," he said. "And make sure that Ani and Tish know not to touch her."

~to be continued~

**A/N: Reviews are love.**


	12. She Sure Had Me Way Outguessed

**A/N: This chapter turned out pretty long, yay.**

**WARNING: We'll be getting into some spoiler-y details from Radiant Shadows in this chapter and beyond. (About Devlin's relationship to his sisters, and about Ani's special qualities.)**

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 11: She Sure Had Me Way Outguessed -

Rabbit called his sisters downstairs to explain the situation to them while Niall carried the mysterious dark faery upstairs and got her settled.

"… and no matter what, do not touch her."

"So," Tish said. "She's some kind of poisonous…?"

"I don't know," Rabbit replied, frowning. "The Dark King seemed reluctant to say much about her."

Further discussion on the matter was cut short when Niall came back into the room. He was about to leave when he noticed that Ani was making a kind of nervous twitching movement, like she wanted to say something but was unsure as to how it would be received.

He turned to her and said simply, "What is it, Ani?"

"Um, so… can we, like, talk to her?" she asked, faltering a bit.

"You _can_," the Dark King replied. "Although she might not respond."

"Okay, cool."

Ani grabbed her sister's hand and practically dragged Tish up the stairs at top speed, intent on learning more about the strange faery Niall had brought here.

Niall was about to leave from the back door of the shop when he sensed a strong faery entering the tattoo parlor. He stopped short.

_Is it really safe to leave her here?_

Before he had time to properly reconsider his decision, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps from upstairs - which were shortly followed by several voices shouting and a cry of pain.

Niall and Rabbit both rushed to find out what had happened. They couldn't tell what had gone on just from the sounds of it, but the cry of pain had definitely come from Ani.

What they found was a strange scene. Tish was at the top of the staircase, her face frozen in an expression of horror. Devlin was halfway up the stairs, reaching out… to catch Bananach, who was stuck in an odd off-balance position, stopped from falling only by Ani - who, despite having been warned against touching her, had reached out to grab Lady War's arm when she'd seen her start to fall. Bananach's claws had latched onto her rescuer's wrist and Ani's blood now coated her fingers. Ani's other hand was firmly gripping the banister, keeping them both from falling further.

Niall belatedly realized that Devlin was the strong faery he had sensed entering the shop.

_How did he track us here?_ he wondered.

Devlin ascended the final few stairs that separated him from his sister and laid his hands on Bananach's waist, stabilizing her and allowing her to pry her claws out of the young Hound's arm. Then he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bottom of the stairs, past Niall and Rabbit.

Once it became apparent that her brother intended to leave with her, Bananach slid out of his arms and started to move back toward the Dark King.

"Sister-" Devlin began, but Lady War cut him off.

"Shh," she hissed, putting two fingers to lips. "We shouldn't talk in front of the puppies."

By puppies, she meant the Hound halflings, of course. Not that Devlin was paying attention to what she was saying now. The hand she was using to cover his mouth was the bloody one. And the _blood_…

Devlin's gaze snapped to Ani - who was still standing in the middle of the staircase, cradling her bloody arm against her chest - as he licked her blood from his sister's fingers.

"Rabbit," the Dark King said, snapping the Hound out of his trance. "Tend to your sisters, please."

The tattoo artist rushed to comply, herding his sisters up the stairs and into their room.

Once they were gone, Niall turned to Devlin and snapped, "How did you find me here?"

"I wasn't looking for _you_," Devlin snapped back, abandoning his High Court control in favor of venting his emotions. "I was looking for _her_." Which brought his attention back to his sister. "Why did you move from where I left you?"

Suddenly Niall understood.

"The protection spell, the one that makes other faeries unable to recognize her - that was you."

Devlin bristled at the Dark King's accusatory tone.

"Devlin has been hiding me the whole time," Bananach chimed in. It didn't escape Niall's notice that she was going against her nature once again, by trying to _prevent_ a confrontation between him and Devlin. "The spell should work against _all_ faeries. They can only be disillusioned by touch or if my name is spoken in my presence." She tilted her head to the side and looked at him curiously. "Which still doesn't explain how you recognized me before you touched me the night you found me."

"Maybe it was because I have this," he replied, pulling a long black feather from his pocket.

Bananach reached for it and he let her take it.

"One of mine," she murmured, petting the feather distractedly.

Not as easily distracted, Niall turned his attention back to Devlin.

"What happened to her?" he asked, referring to the mysterious event that had weakened her and drained her powers, which he assumed Devlin must have knowledge of.

"I don't know," Devlin replied.

"She said you've been hiding her 'the whole time'. _What happened to her?_"

Niall was shouting now, shadows springing up around him in reaction to his anger.

"_I don't KNOW!_" Devlin yelled back, allowing his own frustration with the situation to get the better of him. "I found her _afterward_, and I've never gotten a straight answer out of her about it!"

~to be continued~

**A/N: Reviews are love.**


	13. I Can Feel You Dreaming Of Me

**WARNING: More spoilers for Radiant Shadows! If you haven't read it, you probably won't understand who/what Rae is. POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR DARKEST MERCY, mentions of the Death Fey.**

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 12: I Can Feel You Dreaming of Me -

"You led me to the girl on purpose," Lady War accused the spirit who was visiting her daydream.

"Yes," Rae admitted, seemingly unashamed of the blatant manipulation. "I did it for Devlin's sake. Please understand."

Bananach understood only too well. In her weakened state, her blood could not provide adequate nourishment for her brother and Devlin was slowly weakening. If she couldn't return to full power and he didn't find an alternate energy source… he would die. Sorcha's blood alone was not enough to sustain him.

Far Dorcha had paid her a visit not long before she had been found by Niall, offering her a way to save her brother, but she had rejected the offer. One did not enter lightly into dealings with the Death Fey.

Seeing that the dreamwalker seemed to be awaiting a response, Lady War replied, "I understand."

"As always, please do not tell anyone that I have been communicating with you."

This line always signaled the end of the wandering spirit's visits to Lady War's dreams.

Devlin had been out of his mind with worry when he'd first found his sister after… whatever had happened to her. Rae had taken to watching over her in her dreams and had even spoken to her and offered guidance a few times, although Bananach's nightmares were often so strong that the dreamwalker couldn't break through the wall of terror in order to communicate with her.

The wandering spirit had seen glimpses of Far Dorcha in Bananach's nightmares, but the dreams were so fragmented that she had no idea what his presence there meant. Was his image merely a representation of Lady War's fear of either her brother's or her own imminent demise, or was there a deeper meaning to the Death King's sudden appearance? The only thing that Rae had definitively determined was that Far Dorcha was not truly visiting the raven-faery's dreams. His dream-self was merely a figment of her imagination, summoned into an ephemeral quasi-existence by her unconscious mind.

Niall's shoulder brushed against Bananach's, startling her back into awareness of the world around her. He was still arguing with Devlin and, in his agitation, didn't seem to have noticed the slight contact that had taken place between them. She clutched at his arm with both hands to get his attention.

"Niall. We have to bring the girl with us."

Niall and Devlin both looked at her in confusion at the sudden pronouncement. They both understood that she was referring to Ani, but only Devlin realized the true meaning behind the demand. He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued speaking directly to the Dark King without so much as glancing at her brother.

"Devlin's coming too."

Devlin watched Niall's reaction. The Dark King was clearly nonplussed, but seemed to be under the impression that Bananach knew what was best for herself.

"Where are we going?" Niall asked softly.

Bananach tilted her head in that slightly disturbing birdlike way and said, "Back to the hotel first, to rest."

"And then where?" Devlin demanded impatiently. Obviously, she had a destination in mind.

"Hmmmm," she hummed. "You'll see."

~to be continued~

**A/N: I don't think Far Dorcha was ever actually referred to as the Death King in the book, because the Death Fey haven't formed an official court, but I'm calling him that anyway.**

**Reviews are love.**


	14. Return, What For?

**A/N: I had intended to have more interaction between Devlin and Niall between the last chapter and this point in the story, but I have decided to reveal the truth about Bananach's condition in a different way than I had originally planned, so a few chapters of Devlin and Niall taking out their frustration on each other while trying to figure out what's wrong with Bananach have been nixed.**

~ When All Is Said And Done ~

- Chapter 13: Return, What For? -

The place they were going turned out to be Faerie. Specifically, the High Court itself.

Sorcha had not been expecting Devlin to bring the Dark King back with him, and she certainly hadn't expected him to bring two other faeries that she didn't know into the realm of Faerie.

_Ah, but_… She did know the halfling girl after all. This was going to be trouble…

… and she had no idea just how much, until she focused upon the second unknown entity. Sorcha, being the queen to whom Devlin's fealty was sworn, immediately recognized the magic woven around the offending faery as Devlin's. The spell, however, still held to its purpose even when recognized by the High Queen as a magical veil of some sort.

Devlin didn't know what to do. Should he make his report to his queen? Should he pretend he was still loyal to her, with the evidence of his years-earlier betrayal standing beside him? Should he renounce his fealty immediately and swear himself to the sister who now needed him more than Sorcha ever had?

Whereas the High Queen and her servant-brother-betrayer hesitated to speak or act, the third sibling did not. Bananach slipped from Niall's arms and moved quickly to her sister's side, grasping Sorcha by the hand.

At the moment of contact, an amazing thing happened. For at the moment the High Queen recognized her sister for what she was, Lady War's powers flared to life. Heavy black wings, solid and real, spread from her shoulder blades. Her feathery hair fell like a thick black curtain to the backs of her knees. Ash and blood coated her arms and face.

Sorcha pushed her away, unable to disguise her own horror at the revelation of Bananach's identity. No one was paying attention to the High Queen's uncontrolled show of emotion, however. They were all focused on Bananach, who had returned to her previous pitiful form - with the exception that her hair had truly grown back to its normal length.

"Are… you…?" In his shock, Niall found himself unable to properly articulate the question.

"No," Bananach answered, having understood what he was trying ask. "It was only because of my sister's powers that I returned to that state. Do you have a knife?"

Niall blinked, nonplussed at the odd question she'd tacked onto the end of her explanation.

"A knife, a knife," she repeated agitatedly, holding out her hand.

Ani handed her one.

When Niall and Devlin both looked at her as if she'd done something wrong, the Hound snapped, "_What?_" in an exasperated tone.

Completely ignoring everything going on around her, Bananach slid into a sitting position and began hacking away at her newly-regrown hair. She did not stop until it was roughly shoulder-length again.

Once she was finished she stood, brushing stray feathers and bits of hair off her skirt, and handed the knife back to Ani. She moved toward Sorcha once more - not close enough to touch, but away from the rest of the group. Devlin started toward them, to do what he did not know, and would never find out because he was stopped by Niall. Devlin glared at the Dark King. Niall glared back twice as fiercely.

"As you can see," Bananach said quietly to Sorcha. "I am unable to provide adequate nourishment to Devlin in my current state. I have, however, turned up an alternate food source for him."

Sorcha did not quite catch onto her meaning until Lady War's eyes slid toward Ani.

The High Queen asked simply, "Why?"

The question could have meant a thousand different things, and Bananach ignored every possible meaning in favor of continuing what she wanted to say without bothering to answer her sister's question.

"And now that I have done so, you must keep him here. Let Seth be your liaison to the mortal world for now, and order Devlin to remain in Faerie no matter what."

"_Why?_"

This time Bananach did not ignore the question. She looked Sorcha directly in the eyes as she answered.

"My death is approaching in the near future. Very near, in fact. I don't want Devlin there to see it. Keep him with you. Allow the girl to distract him. Whatever you have to do to keep him away, do it."

Unable to come to terms with the fact that her twin - her opposite reflection, who had existed simultaneously with her since the beginning of time - had just announce that she was due to die, Sorcha could not bring herself to do more than nod in response.

~to be contined~

**A/N: Special thanks to Still Not King (and also everyone who is reading without reviewing) for sticking with me this long.**

**As always, reviews are love.**


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